Love Knows Hate Is a Cure
by theressomethingaboutmary
Summary: Bella has been donned a prodigy ever since she was three. A title that she detests. Edward’s a frustrated musician who is tired with life. He wants what she hates. And she hates what he wants. And somehow love is able to meet them halfway.
1. Acting

"Okay so…lets start at the first measure." He said, running his hands through his auburn hair.

I gave him an approving hum and watched his fingers flex over the keys. He moved them with deliberate slowness that made me cringe. I could already feel the boredom seeping into my own fingers as I listened to him repeat the same thing over twice.

He must have noticed my boredom because he suddenly stopped. I looked up at him to find him with an equally tired expression on his face.

"Repeat what I just did."

His voice was flat and he shifted his eyes towards the clock. I could almost hear him counting down the hours in his head and I wondered if he could hear me doing the same thing.

I tried to fumble over the measure, skipping two notes at a time and smiling nervously. It was all very exhausting work but he seemed to buy it.

At one particular moment, his hand toppled over mine in an attempt to lead me to the right key that I had skillfully avoided and I was surprised to feel the warm sensation that rushed through my body. I sat up straighter and pretended to understand a little bit more.

After awhile, I found myself no longer paying attention to his words but rather at the way his voice sounded. It was kind of attractive. He had a slight lisp that was undetectable unless he laughed when he said something. Which wasn't often. In fact anything he said to me was in a rude,_ I'm better than you _sort of way. And almost disgustingly, I liked it. I knew he wasn't playing hard to get and I knew that he didn't want to be here but I liked the attitude. It matched mine almost perfectly.

And then there were plenty of times I caught myself just staring at his features. I'd never seen such perfection before and was surprised to find the complexity behind it.

"Bella?" I heard him ask, interrupting my swaying thoughts. He looked at me pointedly, his hands resting on his thighs, obviously waiting for me to play whatever he had just instructed.

"Yeah…sorry…" I replied .My eyes drifted to the fourth measure, where I thought for sure we were, and played. I skipped the middle note and last note for show and yawned. I let my hand rest on the next set of keys and waited for him to show me more of what I already knew.

I looked up to find him staring at me. Or rather frowning as his expression exited the lifeless state it had been occupying for the last hour. I saw the edges of his mouth rise into a crooked smile and it was then that I realized my mistake. I wasn't supposed to be able to read music and yet I had just played, my eyes never leaving the sheet of paper. Shit.

"Very good." He smirked.

I nodded and waited for the asshole to continue.

Pretending to not be able to play the piano was exhausting work.

A couple minutes later he excused himself to go to the bathroom. I let out a breath of air. My hands idly grazed through the first five measures of the song I had mesmerized as I looked at the clock. I stopped after a couple minutes and waited for him to return.

"So how does the next measure go?" I asked, tapping a couple of keys in random patterns.

"Why don't you show me." He said which immediately caused me to look at him. He was giving me that same smirk, his elbows resting on the top of the piano.

"What?" I said, giving him an innocent smile. How the hell was I supposed to show him? Of course I could, but he wasn't supposed to know that.

He continued to look at me, his lips meeting at a sexy line for another thirty seconds. I returned the stare down, while my fingers tapped relentlessly at my thighs. Finally he rolled his eyes and let go of his hold on mine.

"Okay Bella," he said with what sounded like a tone of sarcasm and annoyance. He lazily played the next two measures.

I repeated them, slowly and tediously.

He raised his brow at me and suddenly I was pulling my hands out of the way as he slammed the piano shut.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked as he hastily threw the music into his bag.

"Leaving before you waste any more of my time." He said flatly.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"What are you talking about? I'm not that bad."

"No your not." He said, as he walked to the door, "You're not bad in any sense of the word and if I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure you can read music too."

My eyes snapped to his, and he raised an eyebrow at me, challenging me to say otherwise. When I didn't say anything, he smiled.

"That's what I thought."

"Just shut up." I said, redirecting my attention to my nails. I looked down at my fingers which were a bit too toned to be the owner of someone who couldn't play an instrument…but I'm sure he'd noticed that too.

He walked over and replaced the music on the stand.

"Play." He said, a bit louder than I expected.

When I didn't he muttered something under his breath and grabbed the sheets.

I rolled my eyes and let my fingers do their magic. I flew to the end of the song within minutes.

With my back still faced towards him, I let out a sigh.

"So are you going to tell on me?" I asked.

"Depends. You must have really have wanted to spend the day with me if you went out of your way to pretend to _not_ know how to play the piano."

I turned to stare at him in disbelief.

"Oh, yes I wanted nothing more than for you speak to me condescendingly all day. Let me tell you." I scoffed, my anger flaring. This whole situation was pissing me off and I was handling it with an arrogant tool.

"Then why are you pretending?" he asked, his arms folded across his chess, his back leaned against the door.

"Just leave. You've figured me out. Your job is done. You're off the hook."

I turned to grab my bag and walked over to where he stood.

"How long have you been able to play?" he asked. I heard his feet shuffle and I closed my eyes waiting for him to move.

When he didn't, I brushed passed him and headed towards my car.

I found it almost hilarious that the one thing in my life that others would die for, haunted me wherever I went.

Bella has been donned a prodigy ever since she was three. A title that she detests. Edward's a jaded musician who is tired with life. He wants what she hates. And she hates what he wants. And somehow love is able to meet in the middle.


	2. Confrontation

**I really like the idea of this story!!! Hopefully you do too. Please tell me what you think. I'll start making the chapters longer of course. Just give some feedback.**

**SM OWNS EVERYTHING TWILIGHT**

I walked into piano class and expected the worst. Either Edward let the cat out of the bag or he had requested a new partner. Both outcomes left me in a mess. I would have to explain my façade to the teacher or I would have to spend another Saturday completely bored out of my mind reciting the ABC's and timetables of piano.

I sighed and coasted in neutral in the fork of the road that my life temporarily resided in. This situation was actually only one of the many side effects of my special "talent." Again, I thought it funny that I had outran the curse, only to realize that it would always be one step ahead of me.

As I curled into my seat, my chemistry book strategically placed behind the music stand, the deciding factor walked through the door. His hair was in its usual disheveled array and his toned body held its usual comfortable attire. Faded jeans and a tattered t-shirt. I was annoyed by the immediate pull between my legs and redirected my attention to my book. Out of the corner of my eye I watched him slide easily into the chair posted behind his assigned keyboard. He didn't even look in my direction. His hands found the keys and my eyes trailed along his fingers. I could anticipate every note he might play but yet there was something I couldn't place as he glided through each measure.

The rest of the period carried on like the first five minutes. Edward Cullen didn't once look at me, I didn't once look at my piano and life went on. I was almost compelled to question my luck but instead decided to question him as I tripped over the last steps of the trailer.

My eyes wondered through the numerous backs of the classmates I didn't know the names of until they landed on his. I placed the hood of my jacket in place, shielding my head from impending rain, and hurried in his direction.

I let my feet sink in pace with his and spoke. "So why didn't you tell?"

He stopped, obviously surprised by my sudden appearance, and removed an earphone from the bud of his ear. "What?"

"Why didn't you tell?" I said again, with a bit more emotion than I wanted him to hear. I didn't like him having the upper hand in the situation and it was clear, by his expressionless face that he was oblivious to it.

"Didn't seem important." He said shrugging his shoulders. He picked up momentum in his feet and replaced the earphones in his ears.

"So this stays between us then." I said, following him out of the rain and into the poorly lighted halls of Forks High school.

"Seems that way." He said before disappearing through a hall I had no business in. I stood there watching his shoulders tower as he shifted further away.

"Well I see someone has a staring problem."

I turned my head to see none other than the brown pixie herself.

"And good morning to you too Alice." I said, changing my direction towards my locker. In all honesty I was excited to see my best friend of two years. Her upbeat attitude was a definite change from Edward's cryptic one and my distanced one. She kept me grounded and for that she earned a smile.

"I didn't know you talked to Edward Cullen." She said, as I lazily stripped myself of all remnants of piano class.

"I don't. He's my piano partner. And unfortunately he knows I can play quite well."

"Wait. You mean he knows that you're a-"

"No," I said, gladly cutting her off. It wasn't as if I was concerned with anyone overhearing in the somewhat deserted hallway but I would rather not have the word ringing in my ears all afternoon.

"He doesn't know and were keeping it that way."

"I don't know what the big deal is Bella. So you're… 'special'," she said emphasizing the last part. "Who cares? Forks could use a little excitement to talk about." She said, rummaging through her purse for god knows what. If I wasn't so in love with her personality, I would have shunned her long ago for her incessant materialistic needs. No purse should ever be allowed to extend pass your waste in my opinion. Alice thought otherwise.

"What do you mean it's not a big deal?" I asked incredulously, "It's the only reason I moved from Chicago."

"All I'm saying is it doesn't define you whether you claim it or not. You're your own person. You choose your interests."

I rolled my eyes at her oversimplification and took my seat in biology.

The rest of the day went on at no particular pace. I didn't see Edward during the remainder of my classes despite the number of times I found myself looking.


	3. More Evidence

**I know some of you are reading so review and tell me what you think. I know I'm guilty of not showing love so I understand but I need feedback. I'm not in the least bit musically talented, so I'm not exactly always sure if I'm getting things right. **

**Be warned. This is a filler chapter, lots will be covered. But I will be updating a lot more frequently on this story so I can get it going faster. **

**This is fun to right. So please review!**

**SM OWNS EVERYTHING TWILIGHT…catch you at the bottom.**

I bobbed my head as I listened to the CD that Rosalie had insisted I download. I hadn't got to the second verse before I started doing it. I was beyond irritated that it had become an involuntary reaction to any form of music. While I only wished to listen to music for entertainment, my head was busily working away deciphering each note required to compose each line, mesmerizing it before I had even finished listening.

..hell.

I flipped over on my bed and discarded the ipod, not bothering to see where it landed. Turning on my laptop, I waited for it to boot up. My eyes wondered to the clock and I immediately wondered if I even had anywhere to be. Today was Saturday, which meant that in an hour, Edward and I were supposed to meet at the school to rehearse our piece that we were playing for the end-of-course recital. The piece we had been given was beyond simple but of course, when you weren't supposed to know the difference between a whole note and a half note, it required practice. But since he knew I could indeed play, the idea of him still wanting to meet was dismissible. So much so that I wondered if I should even bother showing up.

My hands drummed on the keyboard as my email idly loaded on to the screen. With no particular surprise, two emails from Renee came into view. My mother loved to write me emails, saying it was her duty as a loving parent to stay in constant touch with me. I called it overkill.

_Hey Hun, _

How are things going down there? I was pulling weeds this afternoon and it suddenly occurred to me that I never packed any pads or tampons for you. Did Charlie get any? I could send him an email with a list of which ones we like. So let me know. But anyways how is your piano class! Charlie told me you were only able to get into the general course. I know how annoying that must be. I'm looking forward to seeing a tape of your recital. Helen says hey and that she misses you.

_With all my usual love,_

_Renee_

Oh the glory. I could just see it now. Charlie opening his email, anticipating a funny letter from one of his colleagues only to get a list of preferable toiletries.

I shook my head and let more of the contents of her email float to a place where I'd be sane enough to deal with them. It made me laugh to think she was happily skipping along her life, content with the fact that I was completely immersed in piano and enjoying it, weeding like a wild women with thoughts of pads and tampons lingering at every thrust of a shovel or toss of a seed. My mother was comical. And yet it was her enthusiasm for my talent that caused me to run.

She had always kept a musical house even back when I was proud of my talent. My mother had spent her early years playing the flute for a prestigious orchestra. When I was little I was envious, now I suspected it had caused her divorce. She was constantly traveling, giving Charlie full rein of my three-year-old mind. He didn't understand what a prodigy needed and in a way I was thankful for that. He was part of my escape even when I was to little to realize I needed one.

I grew up to the tunes of my own fingers and for a while I'm sure I enjoyed it. My mother was of course ecstatic to discover that her three-year-old child could play Hungarian Rhapsody 2 from memory. She even took time away from her career to "nurture" my ability. That's where Helen came into the picture. She was a Russian wit whose face I saw on a daily basis throughout my childhood. If I wasn't playing outside with the neighbor's hound, Archie, I was posted at our grand piano, Helen by my side, guiding me through the measures of Beethoven until my fingers hurt.

When you're three, normality is what you witness at home. When you're three you don't think to question if the other three-year-olds are doing the same things you are. In your mind, every kid is just like you.

It wasn't until I hit five that I noticed that not everybody shared my talent. And it wasn't until I was seven, that I despised it. Being a prodigy meant that you couldn't play outside until the streetlights went on. Being a prodigy meant that you couldn't choose Barbies over hours of practice. Being a prodigy meant that you did nothing but please the adults around you.

There was even a point in time that I traveled around with my mother, playing alongside the fifty-year old base player and the 60 year old violinist that made up her orchestra.

My childhood was strewed across 88 keys. And I hated it.

So when I made it to high school, I did the only thing I could think of. I moved in with the most musically challenged person I knew and give him a run for his money. And consequently, it's how I found myself pretending not to be able to do the one thing that came most naturally.

Call me a sham, but I call it survival.

I'm pretty sure Charlie knew I hated piano, but I had never let my mother know that. I had stripped myself clean of the instrument since I was a teenager but I couldn't help but feel guilt at the fact that I was shunning something she loved so much.

It was because of this fact that I agreed to take a general piano class my senior year. I found it almost entertaining to fool people at first, but now it was just a burden. Like now for instance.

I shut my laptop after insisting she not write Charlie any emails anytime soon and telling her the usual fluff she floated on. I debated going to the school for about five minutes before I found myself jumping into my burnt out red truck. And I would be lying if I said that Edward's beauty had nothing to do with it.

*****************************************************************

I pulled into the school parking lot with seconds to spare. I didn't see his car anywhere so I didn't rush. I pulled out some homework I was way behind on and made my way to the music room. Considering Forks' reputation of being old and boring, the room actually was teeming with money.

I let the grand piano that lay reserved in the middle of the room collect dust as I seated in a chair closest to the door.

Thirty minutes into derivatives, the beauty decided to show. He didn't even greet me. Instead he planted himself onto the piano and played our song. And I have to admit, he was good. Really good. There was something about the way he moved his hands and bobbed his head at all the right moments that sent me into full alert. His body flexed with every moment and all I wanted at that moment was for him to set the piano aside and play me instead. I knocked my wavering libido away and tried to concentrate on my homework. If he wanted to ignore me, I would gladly do the same.

When he got to the part that I was supposed to chime in on, he played lighter.

"This is where you come in." he said, not bothering to face me. I stared at his toned back and rolled my eyes.

"Obviously." I muttered and slouched further into my seat.

He chuckled but kept playing.

"I was thinking we could change it up a bit here though." He said, revising the last six measures. I would have normally just nodded, already having it mesmerized as I did at that moment, but his tone bothered me.

"No," I said flatly as I flipped through another page of my textbook.

He turned to face me and I could tell he hadn't expected my disapproval.

"Why not."

"It too choppy." I said, not meeting his eyes.

He snorted and turned his back to me as he replayed it.

"It's not choppy. It's different."

"It's a lousy attempt at Jazz and it's not compatible." I said switching textbooks. Language Arts here we come.

"And I'm sure you're just the composer to go to." He said obviously irritated by now. I had called his work lousy and he was pissed. I tried not to laugh at the irony behind his words. I had composed hundreds of songs over the years, a couple of them even landing in _International Piano Magazine_ all before the age of twelve. I was more than equipped to handle what he was dishing out. But he would not know that.

I also had to hold back the smile an entirely different reason. I had knocked that stupid indifferent expression of his face and gave him something to think about. That was rewarding all in itself.

"You got me there." I said with another roll of the eyes.

After a couple more minutes of him muttering things under his breath, which I could only assume were quite colorful, he finally looked up at me.

"I still think we should change it."

"I think it's fine." I said, my eyes trying there best not to lose themselves in the pull of his.

"It's boring."

"It's Beethoven." I countered, rising to put my things into my backpack.

Just then his phone rang and he gave me a finger, signaling me to stay put as he walked out of the room to answer. Through the transparent windows across the room, I watched him wonder outside.

I walked over to the piano and took his seat on the bench. I looked at the sheet of music and saw where he had made his changes. It actually wasn't that bad but it did nothing to my image for me to tell him that. I flipped the music over and lazily played with his changes. I knew he couldn't hear me from where he was and his back was still facing me so I let my fingers swipe at a few notes. I got bored almost immediately and let my eyes wonder to the rows of instruments while my fingers idly swayed back and forth. I suspected that they were playing either Fur Elise or Clocks but could care less. Whatever I played was from memory. Even though I did know how to read music, I preferred it that way. Less time consuming. I was lost in what I thought was the middle of The Scientist when I noticed that I could no longer see Edward through the window. I stopped and craned my neck towards his car but he was nowhere in sight. My fingers drummed through some piece as my eyes wondered to where he might be. I glanced at the clock and noticed we only had about five more minutes to go.

"You're playing that from memory aren't you?"

I jumped at his voice, so much so that I nearly toppled off the bench.

Shit. Shit. How to get myself out of this one.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked, irritation rising through my throat. The annoying crooked smile that I was beginning to love more than detest, sat smug across his face.

"Long enough to know that you just played through five of the most complicated songs without a second thought." He said.

Shit.

He walked to the piano and leaned over me to grab his music. " You recited what I played for you not even ten minutes ago..." He said, pointing to his markings. "And you're not even looking at it."

Shit. Shit.

"It's not that hard to learn." I countered.

He raised his eyebrow and sat next to me. He rested his hand above his head and just stared, giving me that stupid, sexy grin.

We stayed that way for about a minute before I decided he was waiting for me to spill. Since that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, I stood and rolled my eyes.

I was halfway out the door when I heard him.

"You will answer my questions next time Bella." He called out.

I continued to walk and tried not to smile at the prospect of a next time.

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**What did you think? Next Chapter will be up soon!!**


	4. Friends and Showtime

**I'm not getting as much feedback as with my other story but I don't care. I like the story so it shall continue for a while.**

**Let the angst carry on…**

**SM OWNS TWILIGHT**

I got home before the third streetlight came on. Charlie would be proud. I made my way upstairs and called Alice. My panic attack had subsided by then but I was in dire need of a distraction. Hence Alice.

"Hey chick." She answered after the first ring.

"Yah so, I'm a hiccup away from telling my secret." I said, flopping onto the bed. I didn't even bother taking off my shoes.

"I'm going to laugh when you tell him and he looks at you for a full half of a second before continuing on with whatever he was doing before you opted to speak."

"Alice." I said, "not that your advice isn't endearing or anything but I'm already done wanting to talk about it with you."

"I have that effect on people." She said nonchalantly, "but seriously he's not going to give a rat's ass that you can play an instrument."

"Yes Alice, because that of course is all that this amounts to." I retorted rolling my eyes.

"Whatever. You care too much. He's sexy and all but Edward doesn't deserve all this thought. Come over. Rosalie is bringing pizza which means something has happened to her which is hopefully better than your lousy drama because she never pays."

"Okay but if you touch my hair, Jasper will know all of your dirty secrets." I said, referring to her on and off boyfriend. I bounced past Charlie and kissed him on the top of his head. I tripped over the welcome mat earning a laugh from his love seat.

"Oh he already knows them all." She countered before I hung up.

I smiled as I prepared to have a night with the girls. When I moved to Chicago, they were the first ones that I could actually hold a conversation with. Alice was not my usual type of person, what with her constant word vomit and declaration of feelings but I had learned to like it. She was blunt when necessary and sympathetic when needed. She was all about a person's insides and what they were made of. You could be the most beautiful person in the world, but if you had a lousy personality, Alice was not impressed.

And then there was Rosalie who I actually believed to be the most beautiful person in the world. All I knew was that if I was having a bad hair day, which I probably wouldn't notice, Rosalie was the last person I wanted to stand next to. She was funny and my equal counterpart. She took my attitude with stride and shot it right back at me. If I wanted a heart to heart, Alice was my girl. If I just wanted to sit and bitch, Rosalie was the one to go to.

Although Alice did have her bitchy moments. Like now. But I could see where she was coming from. Edward Cullen was sort of a recluse at our school. I had never really given him much thought before now. The only reason I knew of him out of piano class was because his best friend was Emmett Cullen. And I was pretty sure Rosalie was dipping her fingers into his cookie jar at this very moment. Of course, she would never admit it. Rose was like that. She liked to be in control of everything. The idea of falling in love and being committed to another person to whom she was of equal value was unappealing to her.

But like Alice said, Edward Cullen probably wouldn't care about my secret. He knew nothing about me besides my faulty lying abilities. So why he was on my mind right now, I did not know. He just was.

I made it to Alice's house within the next ten minutes and parked next to Rose's car. There were several other cars parked around the corner but I figured her parents had company. They were social like that.

I didn't bother knocking. She knew I was coming. I climbed her winding staircase trying not to trip over every step. I heard Rose's laughter booming through the halls and couldn't help but smile. That smile was instantly stripped away as I entered Alice's room and laid eyes on Jasper and Emmett who were lounged on her fluffy pink chairs eating _my_ pizza.

"You honestly only ordered one pizza knowing perfectly well Emmett would be joining us?" I asked as I plopped myself on her bed and grabbed the last slice.

Emmett smiled and chucked something frilly at my head. I knew he didn't mean to throw it hard but he often underestimated his strength. I ducked for caution.

"Bella stop talking." Rose said as she painted Alice's fingers. I showed her my equally lovely middle finger as I tossed something in Emmett's direction.

"Emmett why doesn't Edward ever hang out with us?" I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as I could. It was an innocent enough question. He was his best friend. The logic was there.

Alice snorted which sent Rose's nosey eyes in my direction.

Emmett laughed and looked around the room, no doubt deciding what to throw at me next. I raised my hands in surrender.

"I don't know. Edward's not the hang out type." He said, "he's more of a stay at home and play on the piano type of guy."

I shrugged my shoulders and tucked away that newly gained information for later.

"That kid is going to make it big one day." Jasper said, grabbing popcorn from a nearby bowl I had yet to notice. "I've heard him play."

"It's definitely a different experience then hearing you play Bella." Emmett said, thinking he was being smart. Alice and Rosalie laughed at his ignorance and I let it slide. Emmett thought I sucked like the rest of the world. And quite frankly, I'd have it no other way.

I smiled and gave myself a pat on the back for at least fooling one person.

"I'm having a party." Rosalie declared. I saw her and Emmett exchange a look and laughed at the fact that she thought it had gone unnoticed.

"Parents are out of town?" Alice asked, hopping into Jasper's lap.

"Yep. Next Saturday the house will be all ours."

I thought about what that meant. Rose always threw parties when her parents were away. Which was all the time. She insisted that it was all in fun, but I suspected she only did it to get back at her parents for never being at home. It was Rose's type of punishment.

Usually her parties condoned too much drinking and lousy music. Her house would end up a mess and Alice and I would be obligated to help clean. Oh the joy. I rolled my eyes and walked over to grab the remainder of the popcorn bowl.

The night carried on like they usually did. Alice did end up playing with my hair, Rose and Emmett disappeared together way to often to go unnoticed, and Jasper and I argued about who had the better comebacks. To say I loved my friends would be an understatement. They treated me like a person and not a prodigy. Though Alice and Rosalie did know my secret, they seemed unaffected by it and for that I was thankful.

I could play this game as long as I needed to.

******************************************************************

I left Alice's house around midnight. Charlie was knocked out on the couch and I smiled to see he was in the exact same posture that I left him in. I turned off the lights and dragged myself up the stairs.

For some reason I couldn't sleep. After tossing and turning for about an hour, I grabbed the sheet of music that Edward and I had to play for the recital. My mind fixated on the part he wanted to switch. I wrote down his notes in the margins and found myself making changes along with his. I yawned and looked at my work. Throwing the pen and sheet on the nightstand, I crept back into bed. I drifted to sleep within minutes. And it didn't even bother me that I had just done something musical for the first time in years without being forced to or that my dreams flew to the beat of Edward Cullen.

********************************************************

I woke up with a good attitude I would have to say. I brushed my hair with strokes that would make Alice proud. I ate breakfast and actually tasted my food instead of gobbling it down like Charlie.

Sunday was usually boring considering I had to work at the nearby bookstore all day but that was irrelevant at the moment. I was on cloud nine. Granted I had no reason to be, but that made it even more exhilarating.

I made it to work in record time…

And by three my wonderful attitude was fading. Maybe it had something to do with the terrible weather or maybe it had something to do with the fact that Edward was now walking towards me with that stupid grin on his face.

"What a joy it is to see your face." He said, as he placed several books on the counter for me to scan. He was wearing his usual worn out attire and I wondered if he knew how delicious he looked.

I snorted and grabbed the books.

"I didn't pick you as a reader." I said, as I flipped through his choices. Two classics and a cookbook. Nice.

"And I didn't pick you as a musician." He countered, flipping through his wallet.

"I'm not a musician." I said, my cloud nine deflating before me.

"I beg to differ." He said, handing me a platinum credit card. I ignored the fact that he probably bought bags of skittles with the thing and swiped it.

"Okay…have a nice day." I said sarcastically, sliding his bag across the counter.

"It's not a crime to be good at something."

I smiled at his simplicity. I could dance circles around his fingers when it came to the piano. I was more than good. But again, he would never know that.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Whatever you say Bella." He said, giving me one last sexy smile before leaving.

So he thought I was good at playing. I could handle that. But he was having too much fun with the idea. I could only imagine his reaction when he figured out how exactly good I was.

Luckily he never would.

**********************************************************

"You look lovely this morning." Emmett said, as I climbed into his jeep. Rosalie sat in the passenger side looking as bitchy as ever.

"Just drive Emmett." I said, slightly annoyed with seeing his face this early in the morning. My truck, which Charlie had given me sophomore year, had decided not to work today, so I was stuck riding with Rose. Which meant riding with Emmett.

The joy.

"Where's Alice?" I said fighting back a yawn.

"She rode with Jasper." She replied, turning and giving me a wink.

I smiled back, trying hard to pretend like I knew what the wink was for. I was too tired to deal with her cryptic messages especially when Emmett had decided he wanted to grace us with his singing.

They dropped me off at the piano trailer. I waved and headed to hell.

Plopping down in my usual spot, I took out my textbook and easily ignored the piano sitting next to me. I couldn't help but look up when Edward walked in. He sat in his usual seat and played his usual warm up songs. It did annoy me that he didn't look in my direction but it was even more annoying that I even cared.

"Okay guys since I'm almost certain there is no real practicing going on, I want you to show me what you have covered so far in your recital piece." Said Ms. Chivey looking at her desk, which contained the latest issue of People Magazine. I cringed at her request. I had begun to hate performing in front of the class. Pretending to stumble through a piece made it excessively long.

It was irritating.

"Bella, Edward…You'll go first."

I closed my eyes and braced myself. When I opened them Edward was already at the piano bench, spreading out the music sheets. I mumbled colorful words under my breath and took a seat next to him. It felt weird to have him so close. I could feel his body heat circulating around mine and I would be lying if I said I didn't find it appealing.

I watched him play the first part flawlessly. Then came my turn. _Showtime._

I cringed in my seat, skipping the first measure completely and fumbling through the rest. He smiled and shook his head, but nonetheless kept his eyes on the music as I played. I let out a sigh of relief when it was over…for effects of course.

"That was…interesting." I heard her say. "Edward your tempo was perfect. Bella…well it's getting better. But maybe you and Edward should practice more."

She gave Edward a wink and me a reassuring smile.

I sat back down in my chair and tried to ignore the questioning looks Edward was sending in my direction.

**What did you think!!**


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